Skiing in Val Thorens - France

I just got back from a fantastic week of skiing in Val Thorens. Located in the French alps, the resort is the highest in Europe, meaning it also contains the highest pub in Europe...

This was the first skiing holiday I went on in 10 years, so I was a little nervous that maybe I wouldn't be able to ski anymore. Luckily I could still remember. "It's just like riding a bike" they say, which turned out to be true. The first few days were still tough because the visibility was so poor. The constant heavy snow also meant that moguls (large lumps of snow) were forming on slopes that wouldn't usually have them. Some blue runs actually felt as difficult as blacks. This picture shows just how hard it was to see, can you see where the sky starts and the snow begins? No, neither could I...

I went on the trip with my friend, and his mum and stepdad. I hadn't met them before but luckily they turned out to be really great people. We had some good laughs and some interesting discussions. Most evenings we went out for dinner, and had some really tasty food. Unfortunately there was a bit of a lack of veggie options, good job I like pizza so much! It was also very expensive there, €7 for a beer and €15-25 for a main meal was not uncommon in the bars and restaurants. The night life was very lively there compared to other resorts I'd been to, and inexplicably most bars were full of Irish people. It was a bit like Dublin crossed with Ibiza and placed on top of a mountain! Our apartment "Résidence Diamant" was nice, comfortable and in the perfect location for easy access to nearby lifts. The balcony snow also turned out to be a great beer cooler.

Around halfway through the week the worst of the weather had subsided and the really great skiing could begin. It's so much nicer when you can see the snow in front of you and the beautiful mountain views in the distance.

Once the conditions improved we were more confident skiing faster and even had a go at getting some good Strava segment times. There were a number of really great runs there and the queues for the lifts were always short. Maybe some more advanced skiers would be a little disappointed because there were not many black runs. We did one particular tough one called the glacier which had a -49% gradient at the steepest point. It was probably the toughest run I've ever done and it made us feel a little nervous when we were stood at the top looking down. However, the sense of accomplishment afterwards made it well worth it.

Over the last 12 months I've realised that I prefer more activity based holidays, rather than the "relaxing" or "drinking" kinds. Skiing is great for the winter when most other outdoor activities become more difficult and less enjoyable to do. I'm sure it won't be another 10 years before I go again!